Back in 2003 a 19-year kid with a laptop and Casio keyboard set the world of electronica alight with the release of his seminal, techno inclined, ‘Outhouse’ single. His sound was something very special that alluded to a style, sophistication and knowledge greater than that of his youthful years.

Techno is a genre littered with artists unable to step beyond one-hit-wonder status. However, it was clear by Fake’s 2005 release ‘Dinamo’ that there was something quite remarkable and multi-faceted about this wunderkind from Norfolk. His music straddles the “maximal acidic techno beats” of ‘The Sky is Pink’, lovingly remixed by Border Community label boss James Holden, and the more ethereal and sweeping downbeats of his first album ‘Drowning In A Sea Of Love’.

Fake’s new six-track mini album ‘Hard Islands’, released on 18th May, is an unquestionable return to the dancefloor. I was lucky to get the opportunity to listen to a pre-release copy and the result is a techno delight.

“Playing live a lot over the last couple of years has had a profound influence on the way I make music now,” says Fake. Indeed it is clear that this collection of tracks have taken inspiration from recent tours with the likes of Squarepusher, Kieran Hebden (Four Tet) & Steve Reid and also indicates influential stimulus from the back catalogue of Warp and Rephlex.

The stand-out track for me is ‘Basic Mountain’ proving his ability to take a simple melody then twist and distort it into a maelstrom of undulating sounds. But this album has its fair share of exciting experimentation too in the form of ‘Fentiger’ and ‘Castle Rising’ – the former a nod to Richard Aphex Twin James. There’s also the brooding fuzz of “Narrier” which invokes a soundtrack for a, as yet unmade, film – 2009: A Space Odyssey.

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Back in 2006 Fake stated “For me it’s just a computer and a Casio keyboard. It’s all I’ve ever used”. Today he’s progressed to the more robust and experimentally vigorous Ableton Live enabling him to induce a technically advanced battering of the software.

To celebrate the release of ‘Hard Islands’ Nathan Fake is set to play live the Elephant & Castle arts club Corsica Studios on Friday 15th May. His live show has been described as an “unstoppable hour long industrial assault” so with dj sets from James Holden, Allez-Allez and Caribou the night looks set to be a winner.

Look out for the equally enjoyable “Hard Islands mix” which is a Fake mix of compatible tracks in a similar mode….. especially Clark’s – Growls Garden.